Friday, July 04, 2008

What fucking colour is that?

Twenty has a funny post up about some claptrap of other and something occurred to me when I was reading the comments. What the fuck are people 'of colour'? Like 'A woman of colour came in and sat down.' OR 'women of colour are WHOLEY under-represented in the blogosphere".What the F? What does that mean, and shut up, that's a rhetorical question because I bloody well do KNOW what it means, I just object to the expression. I too am a fucking colour. I am pasty white with overly tan arms and tan head. I am Skewbald. In FACT I'd wager I've got more colour going on than other 'women of colour'.Seriously, what a load of PC wank.I am now mildly red faced. With indignation- not commonly FELT on Gingerday.

Miss Cat I often think about that too, especially if you are addressing a large group of people ye know some people talk offense to certain terms and some don't. What do you say? What is politically correct?

I think it's totally over the top Nonny, and PC bollocks. People can talk about a group of people without being racist, but this is ridiculous. African? Mexican? Chinese? Asian? Indian? English? Irish? French? Is it only colour that's counted or is it race or is it just a tedious PC expression?I don't like it. I think it's stupid. People are a VARIETY of colours. All of us.

Sheepworrier, my mother calls chinese people and japanese people 'neezies'. No matter how many times she is told to shut the hell up. She thinks it is funny, but then she is a total clueless booby.

Greenish white? Although I suppose it's possible, I have a friend who is almost bluey white, she's the whitest person I've ever seen.Also, after strenuous exercise I believe I am the proud owner of the REDEST face known to man, I mean seriously, it glows.

In the bad old days African Americans were referred to as "coloureds". It was a term of offense. So in the better days we started speaking about blacks and whites. But that didn't cover all the Mexicans and Indians and people in between. Rather than revert to coloureds, they went for people of colour. Which is puzzling because, back in the bad old days again, the term coloured was deemed offensive because it assumed white was the default or natural colour and everybody else was coloured in, a deviation from the norm.

At the moment it seems to be mainly a term used by Oprah and politicians who want to be seen as respectful and inclusive. The only other people I've heard using it in casual conversation were white and wankers but I can't tell if it's connected. I know a fair number of black people and for the most part they prefer black, or African American. The Hispanics I know prefer Hispanics, and a whole bunch of the white people I know prefer Irish-American, German-American, Scottish-American etc. It's just occurred to me that I've never heard anyone describe themselves as English-American.

Depending on the weather and state of health, I am either white, blue, green or brown - so I am a person of multicolour, like Joseph's Technicolour dreamcoat. I think black people prefer to be called black people, calling them a person of colour is patronising and insulting. I am currently working with a mix of nationalities, the majority Chinese. They all have their own insults for each other - a Chinese person who tries to be Western is called a Banana (yellow on the outside, white inside) and the Indians call one of their own trying to be an Englishman a Coconut. (the black guys call each other Nigger, as in Yo, Nigger, when they greet each other, but only they can get away with that! - though they do call us Honkey to our faces!).

Sam, it's not just Oprah, it's all over the interweb and it's annoying because it encompasses a whole swathe of people and umbrellas them on the basis of their skin colour alone. Which to me in total balls. Like Shebah, I'm a whole myriad of colour and I don't like being out of the loop.

If I referred to my Spanish friend as a woman of colour she'd break my jaw with her Hermés, and I would deserve it. The Italians would be pretty put out about it too.

In Dundrum I saw two Wiggas greet each other with most complicated hand signs ever, as god is my witness they even called each other 'B Boy' and 'my man.'I almost choked on my soy beans laughing.For reals.

Ahh ha ha that is funny. It is also funny when they refere to each other as "dog" my cheeky ass little cousin went through a spell of that I don't know what was worse the lingo or the loud music cracking my ceiling.

Kickboxing class cancelled, I am bereft! Wither my after class thirst? Oh well, I"ll just have to summon up the thirst of bitter disappointment instead.Anyway, happy beer o'clock indeed Medbh and have a good weekend everyone.

About Me

I'm a bouncy, opinionated, messy haired marathon running (!) bibliophile. I wear high heels and have delightful ankles. I'm a devoted drinker. I want a French Bulldog puppy whom I shall call Batman and dress in capes on occasion.
I would also like a pug, whom I shall name Mister Woo. He can remain capeless, but I will make sure he wears a diamante collar at all times.
Both dogs will submit to repeated snorgling and high pitched squeals that only a dolphin would normally tolerate.
I hate Reiki/psychics/mystics/frauds with all my liver. Also, I'm firmly against Jazz and poetry/poems/pomes/ peoms or any of that stuff. I believe in the healing power of ginger.